Why Queen Elizabeth always dresses in bright colors

Queen Elizabeth knows exactly what it takes to be the center of attention at all times: a supremely bright outfit.

According to a new interview with Her Majesty’s daughter-in-law Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, the Queen’s deep and unabating lifelong obsession with brightly colored clothing (always paired with a matching hat) isn’t just because she loves the look, but rather because she knows it’s key to always stand out for her fans.

"She needs to stand out for people to be able to say 'I saw the Queen,'" Sophie revealed as part of the Smithsonian Channel documentary "The Queen at 90." "Don't forget that when she turns up somewhere, the crowds are two, three, four, 10, 15 deep, and someone wants to be able to say they saw a bit of the Queen's hat as she went past."

And really, this choice of bright clothing comes down to a wardrobe theory beloved by most women in leadership roles: confidence dressing, which can help you command a room, a palace, or in the Queen’s case, an entire nation, with the simple choice to rock an outfit that makes you look unique.

“The queen has always been aware that she needs to stand out from the crowd, and it is for this reason that millinery has always played an important role in her wardrobe,” Caroline de Guitaut, the curator at the Royal Collection Trust, told The New York Times.

And truly, nothing the Queen puts on happens by accident.

According to couture designer Karl-Ludwig Rehse, who started creating outfits for the Queen in 1988, her outfits are planned weeks, possibly months in advance.

“It's not the case that the queen is going somewhere next week and thinks, 'What am I going to wear?' Sometimes it is six months, 12 months or longer,” he told CNN.